Review: 9

This movie takes place in a post-apocalyptic Earth where machines have taken over humanity. Earth is a barren wasteland and the only ones who remain are little robotic sackdolls created by a scientist. There are 9 dolls and the movie starts with number 9, the last one ever made. Now, whenever I see these movies I always try to think about whether it would really happen if there was ever an apocalypse. In this movie, it’s a little odd to choose little dolls to inhabit the Earth after humans have passed. It can be hard to grasp the meaning of this film and the purpose of these dolls.

Here’s my simple interpretation of it. The main reason the dolls were made was to eradicate the machines that have taken over. Since the scientist was too old to carry on and too weak, he created them. Only machines can defeat machines. And I’m guessing that they were made to be small on purpose because it’s easier to sneak up on your opponent when you’re that size. And since these dolls have pieces of the scientist’s soul in them, he had faith in that together, they would be able to get the job done. Aside from that reason, you can also see this as the scientist trying to have everlasting life in the form of his creations. These creations are his legacy and he wanted to live on through them. Each of the dolls have different quirky personalities as well and I guess you could see this as the scientist’s “split” personalities. This is why they had to work together for them to become victorious. In the end, it’s really up to us to imagine what will happen next. The story is left hanging. They don’t have a plan, but I’m guessing they are going to build more little dolls and figure out how to give them life. They’re going to rebuild and start over.

There are many interpretations of 9 and more in depth discussions on what this movie truly means. From the surface it may seem like a simple kids’ film but it is so much more than that. If you haven’t seen this film, go see it! 🙂